How to Choose & Install Electric Fence Posts for Horses?

When building electric fencing for horses many things have to be considered - from the area which is going to be covered to the smallest clips and insulators which would fit the fencing best.

Among all of these considerations, one of the most important ones are the electric fence posts for horses, as they will determine how well your paddock or pasture will match its function and how durable your electric fencing construction is going to be.

You can have the best quality tapes and electric system in general, but if the quality of fence posts is lacking - your paddock simply won’t last.

How to Choose Best Posts for Horses?

The Optimal Height

There are many things in this electric fence post equation that depend on other variables, however, the height of the fencing is universal. The height of the electric fence post has to be no lower than 140cm (4.6 ft) - but generally the taller the better.

The most popular are the 150cm (5ft) fence posts. Horses are very strong, large and agile animals - so jumping out of pasture or paddock lower than that will be a piece of cake for them - so definitely keep that in mind when choosing the height for your fencing.

Post Material

Here is where we bring other variables in this ultimate electric fencing equation. Are you planning your pasture or paddock to be temporary, or do you want it to stay there permanently? How big is your turn out? How do you want your paddock to look like?

Asking yourself these questions will help you decide what kind of fence posts should be set up. If you want your paddock or pasture stay in the same place permanently - wooden posts are the most durable and secure option, not to mention they look a bit more polished that thin plastic or fibreglass posts - however, they are considerably more expensive and it is rather complicated to set them up. If your turn-out area is very large it might be smart to reconsider and choose fibreglass or plastic posts.

Posts of the latter materials are great for pastures which are constantly moved around and set in the area temporarily. Not to mention they are way cheaper than wood. Fibreglass posts are known to be very durable, while plain plastic posts will be the cheapest.

On the last note, no matter what kind of material you decide to choose for your fence line - corners require rock-solid posts - so make sure that you choose wood or steel for your corner posts.

Types of Posts

There are many types of posts are the most popular for an equine turnout - simple standard posts, stirrup posts and posts which are designated especially to fit the corners.

Simple standard plastic, fibreglass or PVC posts often will be the cheapest and very easy to install as they often have hooks for an electric tape to go through, so no additional insulators will be needed.

Stirrup posts are very similar to the standard post from the very first glance - they also have pre-welded hooks in them, so no insulators will be needed, however unlike the traditional standard post these have stirrup shape footplate at the very bottom - this ensures better stability and easier threading into the ground.

As mentioned before, corner posts have to be made from very durable material and have to be rather thick to withstand the pressure of the fence-line itself.

Colours

When thinking about equine paddocks the first two colours that pop into mind are white and black.

The white colour usually forms a good contrast with surroundings and horses naturally tend to dislike white colour and are more cautious of it in general. Also, white fencing can look very polished when taken care of properly.

Another popular colour is black or dark brown as these colours are very easy to take care of and maintain.

Electric Fence Post Reviews

There are various types of fence posts which are quite popular among the horse owners.

Despite them all having the same function, it’s the different features and materials what makes them perform better or worse depending on what needs horse owner has in mind.

Hotline 1m (3ft) Electric Fence Premium Plastic Posts

Main features:

• 1 metre high. 
• Quantity per package - 10 (can come in bulk)
• Made from premium plastic
• Available in different colours
• Works great with all kinds of electric wiring - tapes, ropes and wires.
• Steel spike for easy tread in. 

These fence posts are made from premium plastic and come in various colours such as traditional white, green and more daring colours such as orange and blue. They are very affordable and easy to manage.

These heavy-weight posts are perfect to put an additional layer of electric current through your non-electrified fencing, as they already have hoops for all kinds of electric fence material such as tapes, ropes and wires.

It is not recommended to use them alone, and if they are used for your horses, it is advised to always keep an eye on your horses while they are fenced in. Would work perfectly fine on shetland size ponies.

Hotline ECO2000 1m (3ft) Recycled Electric Fence Posts

Main features:

• 1 metre high.
• Quantity per package - 10 (can come in bulk)
• Made from recycled plastic
• Comes in black
• 8 Fixings work great with all kinds of electric wiring - tapes, ropes and wires.
• Steel spike for easy tread in. 

These fence posts, even not being high enough as per standard, are very popular among horse owners because of their affordability.

Made from light but durable recycled plastic they are perfect for temporary fencing solutions, and would serve as a great additional layer to a traditional fencing to put an electric current through - as they have fixings for electric tape, rope and wire and no additional insulators would be needed.

These are very easy to maintain as they have steel spike which allows you to put the post into the ground very easily.

Hotline 1.4m (4.6ft) Electric Fence Posts for Horses

Main features:

• 1.4 metre high
• Quantity in 1 package: 20 (also available in bulk).
• Extra strong
• Fixings work great with all kinds of electric wiring - tapes, ropes and wires.
• Available in white or dark green colours.

These fence posts are a safe, affordable and very convenient solution for horse owners. They are made from exceptionally durable plastic and have pre-made hoops for your electric tape and rope.

They are high enough to meet the recommendations of equine fencing and are very easy to manage. These posts are one of the most affordable solutions available in the market when choosing between posts of this height.

Hotline HP5 1.5m (5ft) Electric Fence Stirrup Horse Posts

Main features:

• 150cm high
• Quantity in 1 package: 10 (also available in bulk).
• Extra strong glass fibre material
• Fixings work great with all kinds of electric wiring - tapes, ropes and wires.
• Stirrup style tread in.

These fibreglass electric fence posts, due to their height, durability and stability are in very high demand among the horse owners.

Stirrup style tread-in differently than traditional spike offers an additional layer of stability and security.

Because of the increased stability, these posts are great to use in windy locations and in poor weather conditions without any concerns even with the thickest tape. Having that in mind, they are also more expensive than the posts which were mentioned above.

Summary

To sum up, it really all depends when deciding on what kind of fence posts should be used for your equine turn-out.

Do you just need an additional layer of electric current to the fence which is already standing, or do you need a durable solution for your fencing?

All of the fence posts mentioned above are great for their own purpose, but if we are looking into affordability, height and quality combo Hotline 1.4m (4.6ft) Electric Fence Posts for horses would be a clear winner, as it ticks all the boxes required when it comes to electric fencing for horses.

All in all, you have to have a very clear vision of how you want your paddock or pasture look like and that will help you decide on the kind of fence posts that should be used.

Do you want your paddock to be permanent or flexible and temporary?

What is your budget and how much of your time you can invest in installing your electric fencing?

Once you answer those questions, you will have a very clear image of what kind of electric posts you should use for your paddock.